APEDA Issues SOP for Rice Exports to China

13-Jun-2026 11:32 AM

New Delhi: The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)—a body under the Union Ministry of Commerce—has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Indian exporters shipping rice to China and has urged them to commence exports immediately.

It is worth noting that Chinese customs authorities had previously rejected certain consignments of Indian rice due to the presence of traces of GM (genetically modified) rice. As China is emerging as a significant market for Indian non-basmati rice—particularly broken rice—APEDA aims to address these concerns proactively rather than overlooking the issue.

APEDA issued the notification regarding the SOP on June 8, and it came into effect on June 9. According to an APEDA General Manager, a specific procedure has been developed to guide exporters and other stakeholders in ensuring compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for rice exports to China.

This new SOP applies to all applications for the Registration-cum-Allocation Certificate (RCAC) received by APEDA from June 9 onwards.